I Luv U
by BookSugar
Summary: On New Year's Eve, Evie makes a bold resolution that will change everything between her and her close friend, Doug. Completing that resolution will take some time, but when it's all said and done, the "L" word becomes more than just a phrase. (This is not a songfic.)


"I love you, and I don't know what to do" - I Luv U by Sofia Carson & R3hab.

* * *

On December 31st, Evie was at the Auradon Prep New Year's Eve party. Music blasted through the dance hall and there was a whole table full of snacks. She was seated at an activity table, filling out a list of three resolutions for the coming year.

She had no problem filling out the first two, but the last one seemed like a daunting task.

She looked to her friends at the other spots at the table and made sure no one was looking. In a blue pen, she scribbled her last resolution in the box and folded it up. She slipped it in her pocket while everyone else giggled and chatted about what they wrote down.

Across the room, Evie noticed her friend Doug chatting with a few of the band kids. He caught her eye contact and gave her a little wave. She waved back and slipped the paper out of her pocket, looking at it once more.

It was only three words. Plus, he was the sweetest guy she had ever had romantic feelings for. This year was going to be the year. It just had to be.

* * *

**January:**

Evie was busy in her dorm watching snowfall from the sky. She had her sketchbook filled with mannequins of a variety of shapes. Trying to find inspiration for a collection of winter-themed designs, the door to her dorm room opened. It closed within seconds. She turned from her seat on the window sill and held back laughter.

Mal stood before her, completely frozen, the tip of her nose red. She shivered and her teeth clattered. Evie got off of her bed and helped her friend take off her winter gear. Her hat was filled with snow and so were her boots. She didn't bother to ask what happened.

When they finished removing the frozen, wet and snowy gear, Evie went to the bathroom and started a warm bath. Mal, barely able to move, made her way to the bathroom and shut the door. She opened it only to receive cozy purple flannel pajamas and other clothes from Evie.

Sitting back down on her bed, Evie returned to the window sill, a text message from Doug reading that he wouldn't be able to study that evening. Instead, he could drop off his notecards. Apparently, his brother Derek wanted to hang out with him.

Evie smiled fondly, glad he gave her a heads up and was planning to drop off his study materials.

Mal soon got out of the shower and flipped on her bed, cuddling up to the purple duvet. She glanced at Evie who had styled her hair into a neat ponytail, instead of the one she had put up just to get her hair out of her face.

"Doug is stopping by, isn't he?" Mal asked a smirk on her face. Evie nodded her head, biting her lip in an attempt to hide her smile.

"Of course. And you're finally going to tell him, tonight?" Mal questioned receiving a crumpled piece of design paper at her shoulder.

"No. It's not the right time, M. Love can't be rushed" Evie replied simply, just as someone knocked on the door.

"It's Doug," he said through the door, Evie rushing to get up. She tightened her ponytail and ran to the door. Mal stifled a laugh, receiving a glare from her friend.

Evie opened the door and she was met face to face with Doug who smiled. He handed her the box of notecards. "Here you go. I really wish I could have helped you, but my brother suddenly wants to hang out with me, now that I'm graduating" he said with an eye roll. Evie chuckled and thanked him.

"Yeah, I—I" Evie started, looking back to Mal who gestured for her to go on. "I think I lov—love you—your set of notecards"

Doug's hopeful eyes dropped slightly, knowing what she was going to say. Instead, he nodded his head. "Yeah. They're pretty cool. I'll see you later, Evie" he said with a wave.

Evie closed the door and leaned against it. There's an entire year left, she thought.

* * *

**February: **

The week of Valentine's Day, Evie and her friends participated in numerous activities for the holiday. Including a speed dating activity.

Seated in a row, next to Mal, her purple-haired friend was less than pleased to be participating. But Jay across from her had a big grin on his face.

Evie already knew she wanted to be with Doug, it was just a fun activity.

Down the guy's row next to Doug was Ben. A girl already was flirting with the King, much to Mal's annoyance. She shot daggers to the girl who luckily didn't notice the purple fairy's eyes.

Evie elbowed her friend just as Fairy Godmother appeared. "Children we will now begin our little Valentine's Day activity! Ladies will switch, gentlemen will stay put. Alright, children, bippity boppity!"

She flicked her wand that no longer had magical abilities since she contained its power in a hidden capsule in her home. As she walked away to stand in the back, she observed the activity.

Evie met with Carlos and Mal was paired with Jay. She could barely hold back her laughter as she spoke to the white and black-haired boy. Since they weren't interested in each other, Carlos kept cracking bad jokes and teasing her. It was just a while before Fairy Godmother tapped her wand on the board and they switch.

Five seats later, Evie landed at her close friend's spot. Doug smiled, a blush on his cheeks as Evie sat down. "Hi"

"Hey," she said with a giggle. They went down the list in front of them quicker than anyone else, leaving an extra two minutes. They conversed about their other meetings and chemistry, cracking jokes.

"I meant to ask you, but would you be my valentine? It's silly and all, but" Doug started before Evie interrupted.

"I'd love to, Doug" Evie replied. Mal happened to finish talking at that moment with Aziz. She glanced at Evie and nudged her shoulder.

Evie looked at her friend and shook her head. With a deep sigh, she turned to Doug and stared into his pale green eyes. "Doug, I've wanted to say this forever. And I really want you to know, I love—"

As if Fairy Godmother was against her, she tapped her wand. "Children, our second to last switch!"

Evie stood up and gave Doug a quick smile. Doug smiled back and tried to hide his suspicion of what she was going to say. He knew he loved her and she loved him, they just weren't exactly ready to say the words.

* * *

**March: **

She carried her books to the library and sat at a desk. The Auradon Curricular Test was coming up in April and she had been weekly studying. Like the first standardized test she took and sent to all of her interested colleges, this test was there to determine how much a student learned over four years.

Since Jay, Mal and Evie hadn't been at Auradon Prep for all four years, instead, just two, they were getting extra help. Carlos, being a junior would have a year over them in studies.

So as she flipped through the book and solved proof equations, she continued through to the essay section. A half-hour later, Evie completed the essay and went on to score it, achieving a score of 3/5.

Closing the book with a sigh, Evie was less than pleased with her score. That had been the same score she got the past two times she'd taken a practice exam. Packing up her things, out of the corner of her eye, she notice Doug walk into the library. She quickly put her things back on the table, hoping he was planning to stay awhile.

However, he didn't see her and instead simply picked up a book from the front desk and started on his way. Evie stood up and called out his name.

"Doug!"

The librarian turned to the blue-haired girl and politely shushed her. Evie put up her hand and mouthed an apology before slipping her books into her bag and speed walking to her close friend. He greeted her warmly.

"Studying for the ACT?" He asked pointing to her book.

"Yes, and I keep getting the same essay score. Have you done a practice test yet?" She asked him, both of them leaving the library and walking down the hallway.

"Yes, once. I got a 30 overall and a 4 on the essay. I can help you, though" he said to his close friend who beamed.

"I should have known. Thanks. I definitely need some help" Evie chuckled. They approached the entry doors of the building and left, walking through the wet plaza to the dormitories.

Evie went up the girl's staircase to put her books away and Doug waited for her. They went to dinner together with their friends, something Evie was going to miss as she would soon be graduating.

When she went back to her dorm with Mal, she took a shower and finished a few assignments before she flopped on her bed.

Turning in for the night, Evie checked her messages for the day once more, finding a text reading that Doug had found the white and navy polka dot fabric she lost in his backpack.

She smiled and sent him a thank you with a heart and smile emoji. Just as she sent it, she realized she sent him a heart. A red heart.

Just a minute later, she received a red heart back. A small smile found itself of her face and she let out a little squeal.

This was progress. He sent her a symbol of love back through text and she couldn't believe it.

* * *

**April: **

The night of prom had been the most amazing and exciting event Evie had ever been to.

She designed nearly a hundred dresses and even five tuxedos. Just for her guy friends (and Chad) of course.

Evie knew for a long time that she wanted to wear blue, but she also didn't want to force Doug to wear her color. But when she learned that many couples went to prom in one color, she felt a little less guilty. It was a no-brainer that she and Doug were going to prom together. He had even asked her, despite them both knowing they'd go together.

The night was spent dancing, eating hour delves and chatting away. They had switched dance partners so many times that when it was the last dance, they realized they'd only danced twice together.

As the couples partnered up, the slow dancing music came on, Evie suddenly felt her hands begin to sweat. She quickly grabbed a napkin.

As she turned around, Doug was walking toward her. She smiled and nodded her head, not even letting him ask her to dance. She took his hand and together they made their way to the dance floor. She placed her arms around his shoulders, his around her waist. Together, they swayed to the music and Doug twirled her a few times.

So caught up in the moment, Evie rested her head in the crook of his neck, letting him guide her across the dance floor. The room was quiet, only the music playing and Evie couldn't feel more in love with her dance partner.

"Doug?" She said her voice soft. Doug hummed.

"I like you" Evie breathed out, nervously. "I like you a lot"

Doug didn't answer immediately. Evie could feel his heart beating fast and smiled to herself. He wasn't expecting this, she thought.

"I like you too, Evie," he replied. The song ended shortly after, Evie not wanting to let go. Though she didn't say the exact words she was thinking, she was positive he knew exactly what she meant.

* * *

**May: **

As official Auradon Prep graduates, Mal, Ben, Jay, Lonnie, Doug, and Evie sat together on the hill overlooking Auradon Prep. Carlos and Jane joined the graduates on the grass.

Evie held hands with Doug as she leaned into his side.

They quietly observed the city and watched the fireworks go off above the school.

It was a bittersweet moment.

Evie couldn't believe that just two years ago, she was simply the daughter of the Evil Queen. A flirt, a schemer, nothing less than evil. But now, she was a high school graduate, an entrepreneur, the class salutatorian and was friends with the best people ever.

"You know guys, I can't believe it's really over," Mal said in a whisper. The others nodded their heads.

"It feels like yesterday were trying to steal Fairy Godmother's wand" Jay chuckled. Evie smiled, her eyes stinging with tears.

"Yeah. It's amazing how far we've all come. And the people we've met," Evie commented, looking to Doug with a squeeze of his hand.

Their chatter continued as Jane and Carlos reminded the seniors they had an after-party to go to. That brightened everyone's spirits. Mal, Ben, Jay, and Lonnie followed the juniors.

"Hey, guys? Coming?" Carlos called as the other five turned around too. Mal noticed Evie's hand still in Doug's. Evie eyed Mal who knew what the blue-haired girl wanted to say to her close friend.

Mal scooted the rest of the group along, shushing Carlos.

Doug let go of Evie's hand and instead sifted his fingers through her long blue hair. Evie smiled at the gesture and they sat together in comfortable silence.

"So, MIT..." Evie said as Doug nodded.

"Yeah. I got accepted—" he responded, as Evie stood up and grabbed his hands with her.

"That's amazing! Congrats" She said laughing a little. Doug chuckled with her, but they soon were reminded of what it meant. Doug was going away and that would either make or break their blossoming relationship.

"So, I'll be leaving in August. It's not bad, the drive I mean. It's not too far away. It's in the same region as your cottage" he said, watching her face drop and a forced smile appear.

"It's 500 miles, Doug. I'm going to miss you" Evie said trying to hold back the sudden tears in her eyes.

MIT was eight hours away. Meaning it would take up almost an entire day to see Evie and vice versa.

Just as sudden as Evie's tears, Doug lifted her chin up and wiped the streams away. "Evie, we're going to be okay. Everything will. Just because we won't be together every day, I promise I'll come see you on the weekends" he said as she got lost in his eyes. She looked from his eyes to his lips expecting something to happen.

Instead, he kissed her cheek, softly.

She wasn't complaining, but she was sure this was going to be the moment they would confess their love. His words seemed to be implications to being in love with her, but she wasn't too sure.

"Now, come on," he said taking her hand. He pointed to the searchlights coming from the Auradon Prep campus plaza. "We've got a party to attend"

* * *

**Summer: **

It was already August and the summer was almost over. The past two weeks had been one crazy adventure for Evie. From Audrey turning evil and Mal and Ben's engagement and their party, to even the sudden revelation of true love between her and her now, _official_ boyfriend.

All was well, and they were together, but Evie still felt as if her New Year's resolution had not been fulfilled. Because of the gesture of their first kiss (well, technical first kiss since one of them hadn't been conscious), at that moment they didn't need to say I love you anymore. It was proven true.

However, she wanted to say those words. They were heavy in the sense that she'd never said them to anyone romantically. It seemed magical and not something one would just say to their love. But something one meant with their whole heart.

It was the day Doug was driving out to MIT, to stay. She had been avoiding her thoughts about the day for weeks. So it finally hit her, that things would be different from here on out.

Evie let out her hair and awaited his arrival. She patiently sewed together a new potential prototype of Mal's wedding dress. She heard the honk of a horn and quickly rose to her feet. She threw down the doll-sized white dress and went to the door.

Doug's car was loaded with boxes. He parked it in her driveway and got out with a bag in his hands. Evie opened the door widely and he walked inside.

"Hey," Evie said with a bright smile, closing the door and locking it.

"Hi, Eve"

Together, they took a seat on the sofa. Doug put the bag on the coffee table and took out the tissue paper. "This is for you. I know it's been only a few weeks, but I think we were a thing throughout high school, neither one of us wanted to admit it" he laughed, Evie nodding her head.

He took out a photo album, watching Evie's face light up. "I had made this booklet right after coronation when we took our first picture together. It's silly, I know, but it was what I dreamed of, so I started to put every picture together. I wanted to give you this before I left. I thought you'd like to keep it here permanently as we add to it"

Surprised at his work and the fact that he did it, Evie smiled as she flipped through it and looked at a few pictures. "Thank you. We'll definitely add to this"

She placed the book on the table and they both stood up. Evie wrapped her arms around him and fell into his warm embrace.

"Doug? I've been meaning to say this for the last three years almost, but this year I made it a New Year's resolution. It's just three simple words, and now I know you feel the same. But I need to get it off my chest" she said, letting go slightly to look him in the eyes. He stared back into her chocolate pupils.

"I love you. So much," Evie said softly. Doug smiled with a light laugh.

"I know. And I love _you_ too"


End file.
